Tag Archives: skeletal muscle

A Relaxing Way to Fight Inflammation

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Need an excuse to get a massage? A new health breakthrough in the area of natural health news has proven that this alternative therapy could reduce inflammation in the body. Since inflammation is implicated in a wide swath of chronic diseases, it seems that seeing a massage therapist might not be just about stress relief.

On a cellular level, massage lessens inflammation and promotes the growth of new mitochondria in skeletal muscle. Mitochondria are the energy center of every cell in the body. The research appears online in the journal “Science Translational Medicine.”

The study involved the analysis of muscle biopsies taken from the quadriceps of 11 young men who had exercised vigorously on a stationary bicycle. One of each participant’s legs was randomly chosen to be massaged. Biopsies were taken from both legs prior to the exercise, immediately after 10 minutes of massage treatment and after a 2.5-hour period of recovery. Continue reading →

This Acid Is Great for Your Heart

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Taurine isn’t one of those minerals that get the spotlight in health news. It’s usually passed over in favor of other, better-known amino acids like homocysteine or tryptophan. But taurine has an important job to do when it comes to the proper functioning of your body. High concentrations of this amino acid are found in your heart muscle, skeletal muscle, nervous system and white blood cells.

Researchers at the Institute for World Health Development in Nishinomiya, Japan, investigated taurine for a possible beneficial role in the prevention of stroke and cardiovascular disease. For their study, which was coordinated by the World Health Organization, the research team reviewed surveys pertaining to diet in 61 different Japanese populations. In particular, they collected data related to cardiovascular disease risk and mortality.

They found that participants Continue reading →

A Supplement That Strengthens Your Heart and Lungs

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One of the natural supplements gaining popularity over the past 20 years is creatine. It is known best for its use to boost athletic performance. It could be far more valuable for people with major heart and lung disease.

Congestive heart failure (CHF) and chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) are common diseases in the U.S. A symptom of both is shortness of breath when moving around. This is caused by impaired skeletal muscle function. Your muscle function depends on several factors: blood flow; amount of muscle mass; type of muscle fiber; and energy burned in the muscle. Changes in any factors play a key role in weakened muscles.

Muscle performance consists of two parts: strength; and endurance. Strength is the force it can exert and endurance is its ability to sustain a certain force over a certain period of time. Losing either results in muscle weakness. Now, both diseases here involve muscle weakness — especially those in your limbs and any involved in breathing. Continue reading →

Study Demonstrates Molecular effects of Meth in Fruit Flies

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A new study in fruit flies offers a broad view of the potent and sometimes devastating molecular events that occur throughout the body as a result of methamphetamine exposure.

The study, described in the journal PLoS ONE, tracks changes in the expression of genes and proteins in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) exposed to meth.

Unlike most studies of meth, which focus on the brain, the new analysis looked at molecular changes throughout the body, said University of Illinois entomology professor Barry Pittendrigh, who led the research.

“One of the great things about working with fruit flies is that because they’re small, we  Continue reading →

Nanoscale Whiskers from Sea Creatures Could Grow Human Muscle Tissue

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Minute whiskers of nanoscale dimensions taken from sea creatures could hold the key to creating working human muscle tissue, University of Manchester researchers have discovered.

Scientists have found that cellulose from tunicates, commonly known as sea squirts, can influence the behaviour of skeletal muscle cells in the laboratory.

These nanostructures are several thousand times smaller than muscle cells and are the smallest physical feature found to cause cell alignment.

Alignment is important since a lot of tissue in the body,  Continue reading →

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